The Restorative Justice Ritual

Restorative justice is an innovative approach to responding to crime and conflict that focuses on repairing the harm caused and making things right. It is gaining popularity worldwide, but there are questions about how it achieves personal and relational transformation, satisfies the need for communal norms, and addresses larger structural injustices. This book examines restorative justice as a ritual and explores how it fulfills or fails to fulfill the human need for justice through the analysis of two justice rituals: the criminal trial and the restorative justice conference.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Restorative justice is a groundbreaking approach to addressing crime and conflict that diverges from traditional legal and punitive measures. It emphasizes the importance of considering the harm caused and the necessary steps to repair it, aiming to restore balance and justice. The interest in restorative justice is rapidly growing, with new applications emerging worldwide. The restorative philosophy and conference process have demonstrated significant potential in providing a healing and community-strengthening response to crime. However, several key questions remain unanswered. Firstly, how is the personal and relational transformation achieved through the restorative justice process? What strategies can be employed to safeguard and enhance its effectiveness? Secondly, can restorative justice fulfill the broader public's demand for a reaffirmation of communal norms following a crime, particularly in comparison to the criminal trial? And lastly, given its primary focus on making amends at an interpersonal level, does restorative justice overlook or fail to address larger, structural injustices?

This book delves into these critical questions by examining restorative justice as a ritual. It identifies three dominant ritual functions related to the performance of justice: normative, transformative, and proleptic. By applying this framework to two justice rituals, namely, the criminal trial and the restorative justice conference, the book aims to understand how each process fulfills, or fails to fulfill, the multifaceted human need for justice.

The book is of interest to students, academics, and practitioners in the fields of restorative justice, criminal law, and criminology. It offers valuable insights into the complexities of justice systems and provides a framework for analyzing and improving the effectiveness of restorative justice practices.

Weight: 310g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367560799